Mutuma Ruteere, the
director of the Center for Human Rights and Policy Studies (CHRIPS),
told a media briefing in Nairobi that the government funded
Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Research Hub will enhance the
response to the changing threat of violent extremism.

“The CVE Research
Hub is a worthwhile investment as it will provide research
information and data to policy actors working on this field with
the overall goal to improve national security,” Ruteere said.

He said the online
platform is designed as a one-stop shop for researchers and
policy actors working on CVE in Kenya to support and facilitate
high-quality research, and evidence-based policy work to curb
the problem.

“Currently one of
the biggest problems in reducing the threat of terrorism is the
lack of up to date data on emerging trends in attacks,
radicalization and recruitment,” he added.

He noted that
violent extremism is a national, regional and global challenge
due to its complex nature in terms of drivers for the vice.

Ruteere added that
the terror threat is constantly evolving making it difficult to
develop effective response mechanisms.

The CHRIPS director
said they have witnessed an increase in online recruitment of
terrorists yet there are not enough tools that government can
use to curb use of technology to conduct terror attacks.

He said Kenya’s
military approach has resulted in the reduction of the
Somalia-based terror group, al-Shabab’s capabilities to conduct
terror activities except in Kenya-Somalia border towns.

Patrick Mutahi, a
research fellow at the CHRIPS, said the threat of violent
extremism can only be reduced through closer collaboration
between security agencies and local communities.

Mutahi said
terrorism is a complex problem which a single strategy is not
sufficient enough to eliminate.

He noted that terror
groups often use ideological reasons to gain new recruits in
their violent campaign.

The research fellow
observed that other ways that terrorist organizations gain
followers is to make false promise of jobs or quick riches.

The research fellow
said that the most important response to violent extremism
should be to address the root cause of the vice.

He called for
strengthening of the partnership between state agencies and
civil society through sharing of information on violent
extremism.

In order to
accelerate the progress toward eliminating the security threat,
CHRIPS recommends continuous monitoring of the trends in terror
attacks and activities.

Mutahi said that in
Kenya, the major challenge of terrorism has been the al-Shabab
which has routinely launched attacks in both the border regions
and urban areas.

He observed that
violent extremism is more prevalent in the coastal and
northeastern regions where it has also emerged as a social
problem for communities and families that have seen their young
men and women embrace the extremist ideologies.

Mutahi said one step
to reduce the likelihood of youth from being victims of online
radicalization and recruitment is to increase employment
opportunities for the young adults.